Join the Positive Woman Connection!

For the past few months, I've been attending the Positive Woman Connection in Dallas, thanks to Gigi Falstrom who introduced me to the group. Lead by my friend and best-selling author Karol Ladd (The Power of a Positive Woman et al), this monthly luncheon and Bible study sponsored by Roaring Lambs Ministries is an oasis in the desert of a hectic week. Karol's gift of presenting interesting, exciting, and enlightening messages from God's Word is truly beautiful. She's so animated, funny, deep, and challenging. It's a refreshing time of networking with other Christian women, enjoying a marvelous buffet lunch, and just relaxing for a bit.

This time I got to sit by speaker and author Helen Hosier. What a charming lady! And after many years in the Christian publishing industry as an in-house editor for Thomas Nelson and author of more than sixty books, she's so bright, well informed, and insightful. We had fun talking about "all things books." It's a great honor to get to know her.

It never fails, too, that Karol and the delightful Donna Skell, executive director of Roaring Lambs Ministries, have piles of books and treats to give away at the luncheon. So you always come away with gifts, laughs, a full tummy, and a touched heart. What's not to like about that?

You might also like to follow this wonderful group at "Facebook/PositiveWomanConnection" or read their weekly blog at "PositiveLifePrinciples.com."

Join Us! If you're in the neighborhood on April 26, 2011, come and hear Karol speak about "How to Get Along with the People Closest to You." Or join us on the fourth Tuesday of any month at 11:30 a.m. at the Prestonwood Country Club on Preston Road just north of Arapaho in North Dallas. Lunch is Dutch treat ($18), and the huge buffet is fabulous fare. If you can join us, please let Donna know you're coming ahead of time by emailing dskell@roaringlambsministries.org. I promise you'll be so blessed if you come. And maybe I'll get to meet you there!

Blessings, friends,

Mary

MaryHollingsworth.com

Creative Enterprises Studio

I'll Try To Never Split My Infinitives!

Friends, Bloggers, and Countrymen, lend me your ear! Welcome to Books, Bach and Beyond. I'm so glad you're here.

I love creative people! I'm a writer, editor, and singer myself. In fact I've been in the publishing business for about twenty-five years, and after all the crazy deadlines, rejected manuscripts, publishing faux pas, and occasional hits, I still love the writing life. It has to be the best gig in the world. I get to work at home in my fuzzy slippers and sweats, and my commute is fifteen seconds. Love it!

Since writing and publishing are two of my primary passions, these posts will most often focus on that love. I hope you will find some helpful and interesting information here. I hope you will interact with me about writing and publishing, music, drama . . . and beyond. And I hope with all my heart that I don't split my infinitives in front of you pros out there. (That would be truly embarrassing.)

But enough about me! Let's talk about you. Folks often come to me for advice about writing and publishing, and it's my delight to try and help them. Those questions and requests over time have fallen into some repetitive themes and areas, so I thought it might be fun and helpful to share with you in these posts some of the concerns I hear and the responses I give. This will be the unvarnished truth according to Mary; so feel free to take it or leave it.

As we go along I will also try to provide some valuable resources and references I've discovered that you might find useful too. So please bookmark this page and come on back every chance you get to see what's new. And when you have a question about writing and publishing, please let me know. I can use your help in knowing what topics you'd like to discuss. Perhaps you have a friend who is creative, too; if so, please share this gathering place with your friend.

Stay tuned! Next time? "Writer's Block Is a Crock!" CreativeEnterprisesLtd.com